Not Tonight
by BregoBeauty
Summary: [Challenge Fic] Jackson barely hears the news of Lisa's death before the day restarts. Now he has a second chance, but the only catch is that each day changes. Now he must find a way to make it through the flight alive and stop Lisa's murder. JxL
1. Prologue

**Not Tonight**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Daybreak_!

**Summary:** Jackson barely survives a pen to his throat and two bullet wounds. When he receives a visit from some disgruntled employers, he learns of another murder—one that hits close to home. He is drugged and when he wakes he discovers that he has a second chance at his job. How far will he go to stop a hit on the very person he vowed to destroy? JxL.

**Prologue**

It started the same as any other day. A beep from the alarm clock would grab his attention, he would shuffle into the bathroom, take a shower—sometimes hot, sometimes cold—and dress in business attire. Dress shoes, expensive suit, and a freshly pressed button-up shirt covering a plain white undershirt, and he was out the door with his laptop bag in hand.

Except this morning, he woke up in a second-rate motel in Texas and headed off to survey his new best friend. His shirt was a pale green to offset his blue eyes and match her sparkling green orbs and he grabbed a suitcase in attention to his laptop bag.

He followed her to a funeral and watched her from a place in the crowd before rushing to Dallas International Airport to check-in for his red-eye flight home to Miami—where his real job would begin.

He worried that she would not show, but she rushed in and jumped in line as he slid in behind her. They had a brief chat and he offered to meet for her pre-flight drinks at the airport bar. She declined, but ending up meeting him anyways. They shared drinks and meaningless chatter before separating due to a phone call. He was waiting for her on the plane though.

That's when everything began to fall apart.

She refused to listen to him and fought him every step up the way. Just when he thought she was under control, she stabbed him in the throat with a pen. He chased her back to her father's house where she assaulted him with a high-heeled shoe, a fire extinguisher, a vase, a field hockey stick, chairs, and a gun. Full of holes he had been wheeled into the hospital and straight into surgery.

Now, Jackson Rippner was beginning to wake up and he was in pain.

**Author's Notes:**

Just a quick recap of _Red Eye_, nothing important. Chapter one will be short, but it will get the story kicked off. This story was suggested by a challenge posted by WalkingInMemphis on the Flight 1019 forum. Enjoy and thanks for reading/reviewing!


	2. Chapter One

**Not Tonight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Daybreak_!

**Chapter One**

_Damn, what the hell happened to me?_

Jackson Rippner let out a muffled groan, his voice stifled by the neck wound he had received at the hands of Lisa Reisert. As the pain settled in, he began to vaguely recall the young woman sending him to hell and back again.

"Oh good, you're awake," came an unfamiliar voice.

His weary blue eyes flicked towards the person speaking and the first thing he noticed was the gun at his head. He moaned—the only way he could speak—and reached for a knife that was no longer strapped to his hip. He swallowed and reached towards the hole in his throat, pressing on the wound to croak a few words.

"What…you…want?"

"Excellent question, Mr. Rippner," sneered the suit, reclining in a chair, the gun still aimed at his head. He doubted that this man was stupid enough to shoot him in the hospital, but he knew that men like him were good at making people disappear and causing it to look like an accident. "Would you like the answer?"

Jackson shot him a glare. The man laughed.

"Obviously I have the advantage, having a voice, don't I? What a shame, I was really looking forward to hearing some of the infamous Rippner back-talk."

He slowly raised his hand away from his neck and lifted his middle finger up, a smirk upon his face showing his pleasure.

"Cocky, Rippner, very cocky. I didn't expect anything less from you."

"You…want?" he croaked once more, agitated at having to talk with his damaged windpipe.

"Ah, yes. Always business—that's what I really liked about you. So young; yet so serious about your job. That's why I hired you, but you still failed."

Jackson's hand curled into a fist.

"No worries, I've corrected your little mistake. Miss Reisert won't be screwed up anyone's plans anymore."

A stack of photos were dumped into Jackson's lap. He eyed them curiously and focused on the stranger once more.

_I don't like being led around—will you get to the point already?_

"Go ahead and look at them." It came out as an order, not a suggestion.

Jackson tried to sigh, but it came out distorted and burned his throat. He picked up the photographs and stared at the time stamp. The orange-red print flashed that day's date—August 19th—and various times ranging from 11am to 2pm. The final shot at 2pm was of a bloody, barely-recognizable body. Only two people in the world would be able to identify the remains of the woman—one was her over-protective father and the other was him.

The photos relayed the abduction and torture of Lisa Reisert which ended in her death. She had been brutally murdered because of his failure.

_It wasn't supposed to end this way…_

"What a shame that she had to die, isn't it? Such a pretty young thing. Don't worry—my men had some fun with her before she died." A cruel smile crossed his employer's face.

_I'm so sorry, Lisa. It wasn't supposed to end this way._

"Remember Rippner, every decision has a consequence."

_Leese, please forgive me…_

A sharp jab in his neck ended his thoughts and Jackson began to drift off to sleep once more.

When he woke, he was drenched in sweat and in a motel room in Texas, waiting for the ringing of an alarm.

**Author's Notes:**

Was that a quick enough update? Enjoy and thanks for reading/reviewing!


	3. Chapter Two

**Not Tonight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Daybreak_!

**Chapter Two**

_That was a strange dream… what did I eat for dinner last night? I should really complain if it can give bad dreams like that…_

The alarm went off and he quickly shut it off. He went into the bathroom, hopped into the shower, trying to shake loose the nightmare. Lisa Reisert ending up dead because of a failure he had was not likely. She would play along and be released once the Keefes were history.

_Probably only to end up with a bullet in her head in a week or two…_

Jackson slipped on his suit and undershirt. He did not pause until he was buttoning the shirt he had carefully laid out the night before. It was a pale green—the same color shirt he had been wearing in his dream.

_You're paranoid, Rippner. Stop it._

He was fine until his daily surveillance began once more. It was the day of Grandma Henrietta's funeral and a distraught Lisa was standing beside the grave. She was fine and everything seemed normal until she tripped in a hole and he felt a flash of déjà vu. _She did that in my dream…or was it a dream? Did I live all this once before?_

Lisa recovered and went on her way and he went for a drive. Along the way, someone rear-ended his rental car and sent him flying into the windshield. He had forgotten to fasten his seatbelt in the shock following Lisa's fall. Now blood was dripping into his eyes.

Groaning in pain, he carefully sat back down in his seat; his chest and ribs sore from slamming into the steering wheel. His breaths came in loud gasps.

_Well, that certainly didn't happen in the dream._

A loud rap on the driver's side window caught his attention. He turned and jumped slightly when he saw Lisa's face in the window. He pressed the electric window button and it rolled down. Her face was full of concern and she still seemed nervous.

"Are you okay?" She was out of breath too. "I saw the entire thing. I can't believe that man hit you and ran away!"

"What man?"

"The one in a suit in a dark Lexus with tinted windows. He had his window rolled down and I caught a good glimpse of him. I got the license plate too." She thrust a scrap of paper at him.

"Miss…"

"Reisert, Lisa Reisert. How can you be so calm?"

"I'm fine."

"You were just in an accident. I saw you hit the windshield. I thought you were dead!"

Jackson wanted to roll his eyes, but then he noticed her disheveled appearance. Mud splattered her legs, her stockings were ripped, and her blouse had been ripped free from her skirt. Her curly auburn hair was wild and her bright green eyes wide in shock.

_Could she really care about me? Or is it all just an act?_

"Miss Reisert, I'm okay, really. I just think I'll be a bit sore in the morning…" _If I last that long…_

"You should really get checked out by a doctor and talk to the police. Maybe they can hunt him down and you can reclaim the money the damages will cost you."

"I might have to do that. Thank you so much for all your help," he said with a smile as he started to roll-up his window.

"Wait—what's your name?"

_Oh no…_

"Jackson. Pleased to meet you. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"Are you sure you're okay to drive?"

"I think so. Thank you for all your help and concern."

"Oh, it's no problem."

He shot her a smile and finished rolling up the window before restarting his car. Thankfully, the engine rumbled to life and he carefully snapped the seatbelt in place before driving off.

_No more mistakes like that…_

* * *

The rest of Jackson's day was mostly normal until he got in the check-in line behind Lisa. The irate passenger was back again and this time, he went over the line.

"Please, sir—" Lisa was trying to say.

"I wasn't talking to you, bitch," snapped the irate passenger and Jackson quickly grabbed his arm.

"Apologize to her, right now," he hissed icily, his blue eyes staring the other man down. "Didn't anyone ever teach you to respect a lady?"

"I don't—"

Jackson squeezed tighter, nearly breaking the man's arm.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out bitterly.

"Be sincere."

The irate passenger sighed. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to call you names… I'm just having a really bad day."

_Aren't we all…?_

Lisa just stood there with a look of utter shock and surprise upon her face.

"See, she doesn't care—" the irate passenger tried to say and Jackson slugged him in the face.

People in line gasped in shock and Lisa grabbed Jackson's arm. "What did you—It's you again. Jackson, right?"

"So we meet again, Miss Reisert. This is my good deed of the day, just so you know."

"You just hit someone in the face!"

"So? He deserved it."

She scoffed and the check-in line attendant called her. She pulled her bag towards the counter and Jackson gave himself a mental kick.

_You just gave a great impression of an asshole, Rippner. Terrific—now she hates you. _

* * *

The rest of the flight went worse than his dream had gone. Lisa fought him the entire way and beat the crap out of him in her father's house. Now he was lying in a hospital bed with several holes in him and feeling just a little bit like a piece of Swiss cheese.

_Now how the hell does that happen? Since when do nightmares become true?_

"Why hello Rippner. I've gone ahead and corrected your little mistake. Miss Reisert won't be screwing up anyone's plans anymore. It's a shame that she had to die…she was very pretty, wasn't she?" sneered a suited man as he plopped a stack of photographs into Jackson's hands.

_Not again, not again…I must be dreaming._

The photographs recounting Lisa Reisert's final hours made Jackson sick to his stomach. As the bile crept up his throat, a smile crossed his employer's face.

"Remember Rippner, every decision has a consequence."

_Not Lisa, please not Lisa. She can't be dead…_

A sharp pain in his neck was all he felt before subcoming once more to the darkness.

**Author's Notes:**

I can't believe how incredibly long it took me to finish writing this chapter and update. I'm so sorry for all the delays. Life has been rather busy and my back injury flared up, so my tolerance for computers isn't very good. I figured an abbreviated version of the flight still worked in this chapter. Pretty much the only time I'll write scenes out is when something changes. Otherwise, chapters would come at an even slower pace and be really boring. Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	4. Chapter Three

**Not Tonight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Daybreak_!

**Chapter Three**

When Jackson awoke the following morning, he leapt out of bed and dashed straight for the bathroom.

_I can't let this happen. I can't let them kill Lisa. No matter what she does to me, she doesn't deserve to die like that. Even if the company puts a price on my head for disobeying, I'll do anything to keep her safe. I can't let this happen!_

He showered and dressed faster than normal, grabbed his bags, and headed out to his rental car. He drove straight to the funeral, his hands gripping the steering wheel tight enough to force his knuckles to become bone-white. He parked with the other cars and moved into the crowd.

He hung just behind Lisa this time, instead of his usual distance of a hundred feet or more. When she stumbled, he was there to catch her and keep her from falling in a hole. _The same hole she tripped in yesterday…_

"Thank you," Lisa said gratefully.

"No problem."

"Have we met before?"

"I-I don't think so," he mumbled, quickly turning away and walking briskly towards his car.

Determinedly, she followed him, then grabbed him by his jacket sleeve in the middle of the street when she caught up to him. "Why are you running away from me?"

The sound of grinding gears and squealing tires cause Jackson to glance to their right and see a dark Lexus gunning its engine and aiming directly for them.

"Look out!" he cried out and grabbed Lisa tight against him as he pulled them out of the oncoming car's path. Lisa shrieked and fought against this grip until she noticed the car speeding past them—blowing right through were they had been standing only moments before.

_Now that was too close for comfort!_

"That's twice that you've helped me. Who are you? Superman?" she teased as she slowly moved to stand.

"No, just an ordinary person," he shrugged.

"Hmm, I don't believe you."

Thunderclouds rumbled overhead and the rain began to fall.

"Do you have a car?" he asked her.

"No. Why?"

"'Cause mine's right over there and I could give you a ride to wherever you need to go. This is going to be a storm and a half," he said knowingly.

"My mother told me to never except rides from strangers," she taunted, outstretching her hands and tilting her head back to enjoy the refreshing rain. She let out a girlish giggle that touched his heart.

_I can't let you die… I promise that I'll do everything possible to save you._

"My name's Jackson Rippner," he offered, holding out his hand for her to shake.

"Lisa Reisert. Are you sure we haven't met before?"

"I would have remembered you," Jackson said with a wide smile that caused her to blush. Thunder sounded and she jumped. "Now, what do you say we get out of the rain?"

She nodded and they ran to his rental car. Jackson opened the passenger side door for her and closed it after she had climbed in. He raced around to the other side and hopped in.

"Now, where to?" he asked politely.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to come in? There's a bathroom that you could clean up in," Lisa offered when they pulled up in front of her mother's house.

"Oh no, I'm fine. I'm on my way to the airport—I'll clean up there."

"Okay, well—"

"It was very nice to meet you, Lisa."

"You too, Jackson."

Before either could say anything else, her mother had appeared in the doorway of the house and was calling her name. Lisa sighed, "I'd better go…"

"Yeah."

She flashed him a sad half-smile and alighted from the car before dashing up the walkway and into the house he had sat in front of for several days and nights.

The smell of her perfume still lingered in the air and he inhaled the sweet scent as he drove to Dallas International Airport. _I'll save you…_

* * *

His cell phone rang soon after he entered the airport.

"Rippner," he answered.

"The Keefe job has been cancelled. You are not to get on that plane."

"What are you talking about? I've been planning this for months! I'm already at the airport!"

"You're to go back to your hotel and wait for further instructions. The plan is cancelled and you are to withdraw from Lisa Reisert immediately."

"Why?"

"You'll do as you are told, Rippner, or you won't have a job or a life. Remember the rules?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes."

"Good. Now go back to your hotel."

_Something's not right… they changed something._

A few minutes later, Jackson knew exactly what when an explosion ripped through the airport and he was knocked into a cement wall and everything went black.

* * *

"Remember Rippner, every decision has a consequence," hissed the now-familiar voice as he slowly cracked his eyes open. _Lisa…where's Lisa? Is she already dead?_

"What did you do to her?"

"Oh, Miss Reisert? She was quite cooperative when my employees nearly slit her throat. She changed the room like a good little bitch and behaved while they had their fun—"

"You killed her—and all those people. You set off that bomb."

"Everyone needs a little excitement now and then."

Jackson groaned just before he felt the all-too recognizable prick of a needle in his neck and his eyelids grew heavy.

_I'll save you tomorrow… I promise…_

**Author's Notes:**

I actually updated in a semi-timely fashion. This was an interesting chapter to write, and hopefully I'll update at least once more this week now that I'm hitting my stride in this story. Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	5. Chapter Four

**Not Tonight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Daybreak_!

**Chapter Four**

Jackson bolted awake, drenched in sweat. His breathing was harsh and ragged, his chest heaving, as he tried in vain to catch his breath. His heart was pounding and all he could think about was the explosion ripping through Dallas International Airport—a bomb which had taken Lisa's life.

_Why would they blow up the airport if they are trying to kill Keefe? Surely their plans would change with the explosion. Is it no longer about Keefe?_

He buried his head in his hands, using his fingertips to keep his heavy head from snapping his neck. Normally, hanging your head would not kill you, but after the past few days, anything seemed possible.

_Lisa… I can't believe it. I promise that I won't let you die. I'll save you if it's the last thing I do._

Jackson dressed, grabbed his belongings and rushed to his rental car. Tossing his bags in the backseat, he put the car in gear and sped off to the cemetery. He would have to stick very close to Lisa in order to save her this time.

* * *

Before Lisa could trip in the hole, Jackson rudely brushed against her, causing her to spin around and chase him.

"Hey! Hey!" she called angrily as he walked briskly towards his car. In the distance he could see the dark Lexus lying in wait.

_Come on you bastards, give me your best shot!_

She grabbed his jacket sleeve as he reached the middle of street, just like she had yesterday. "What's your problem? What are you even doing here? This is a private funeral."

Before Jackson had to reply, he heard the Lexus' gears grind and tires squeal as the driver gunned the engine and drove straight for them. _Not very creative, are you?_

Without a warning, he grabbing Lisa and pulled her tight against him and threw them both out of the destructive path of the speeding car. Once again, Lisa shrieked and fought against this grip until she noticed the car speeding past them—blowing right through were they had been standing only moments before.

"What just happened here?" she asked as he helped her stand.

"Those people just tried to kill us."

"I don't believe you."

Thunderclouds rumbled overhead and the skies opened.

"Do you have a car?" he asked her.

"No. Why?"

"'Cause mine's right over there and I could give you a ride to wherever you need to go. This is going to be a storm and a half," he said knowingly. "Plus, I'd hate to see you as a pancake on the side of some road."

"My mother told me to never except rides from strangers—even if they did save my life," she taunted, outstretching her hands and tilting her head back to enjoy the refreshing rain. She let out a girlish giggle that touched his heart.

"My name's Jackson Rippner," he offered, holding out his hand for her to shake.

"Lisa Reisert. Are you sure we haven't met before?"

"I would have remembered you," Jackson said with a wide smile that caused her to blush. Thunder sounded and she jumped. "Now, what do you say we get out of the rain?"

She nodded and they ran to his rental car. Jackson opened the passenger side door for her and closed it after she had climbed in. He raced around to the other side and hopped in.

"Now, where to?" he asked politely.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to come in? There's a bathroom that you could clean up in," Lisa offered when they pulled up in front of her mother's house, glancing at his ruined clothes.

"If you don't mind. I don't want to be a burden—"

"Oh, no it's fine. After all, you saved my life…"

_Not yet, but I will. I will save you, Leese. I promise._

Jackson grabbed his bag and an umbrella from the back seat. He then helped Lisa out and covered her with the umbrella as they ran to the front door and entered her mother's house.

"Mom!" Lisa called, unstrapping her ruined shoes and slipping out of her mud-stained coat. "Mom, I'm home!"

"Wait a minute," he warned, shoving Lisa behind his back as he withdrew a gun from his jacket pocket. "Ssh."

Making sure that Lisa was safely behind him, Jackson checked the house for intruders.

"Put the gun down Rippner, or we'll shoot the girl," called an unfamiliar voice.

He swiveled to face Lisa, who had a red dot dancing above her heart. Her green eyes were wide in shock and she was chewing on her lip nervously. He slowly raised the gun, then dove for Lisa, knocking her to the floor and turning to fire three shots at the man behind him with a gun. Jackson cradled Lisa against him as he continued firing.

Five bodies lay on he ground when he had finished. Lisa was shaking in his arms.

"Ssh, it's okay. You're safe now."

_I hope…_

* * *

Jackson convinced Lisa to miss her flight. He stayed with her all night, trying to comfort her and explain what had just happened. She was alternately afraid of him and unable to leave him.

As the afternoon of August 20th rolled around, he began to think that he had finally beaten the curse. He was unharmed, not in a hospital room, and Lisa was still alive. But as he drifted off to sleep, a nagging doubt filled his head.

_Why did they stop?_

**Author's Notes:**

Well, he's finally managed to save Lisa, but he still has to figure out exactly what's going on and why he keeps reliving the flight. Sorry about the long delay, but I was really busy with school and several other stories. Thanks for reading/reviewing!


	6. Chapter Five

**Not Tonight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Daybreak_!

**Chapter Five**

Jackson awoke slightly calmer than on previous days. He had managed to save Lisa, but something was still off.

He was still in a dark hotel room with his suit laid out and his bags packed. It was the day of the red-eye flight once again.

With a groan, he stumbled into the bathroom. _What is still going on? I saved her, so why is this damn day still repeating?_

Jackson sped through his morning routine and left the hotel with his bags in tow. He shoved the duffle and laptop bag into the backseat of his rental car. _This isn't just about Lisa dying, so it's safe to assume that she's not the real target and nether is Keefe._ _Then what am I supposed to do? What am I missing?_

As he neared the cemetery where Lisa would be attending Grandma Henrietta's funeral, he slowed his car down to look for her, only to be rear-ended and slammed forward. Jostled and disorientated by the first impact, he did not have adequate time to prepare for the second impact, which sent his car spinning into oncoming traffic.

Horns honked loudly, but as Jackson fought for control over the rental car, another car hit the right side, throwing him against the door.

_Thankfully, I chose to wear a seatbelt today._

A shot rang out, then pinged off the metal body of the car. Jackson looked out of his window and vaguely saw a dark Lexus with a pistol hanging out of the window aimed at his head. He ducked as the glass shattered and rained down upon his head.

_Great, now they're shooting at me! This day just keeps getting better and better!_

Jackson yanked open the glove compartment and pulled out the emergency gun. His employers had informed him of the placement of the weapon in the rental car, but he had never expected to use it. He was actually a fairly lousy shot with a gun.

_What the hell… as long as I don't hit Lisa, I don't particularly give a damn…_

Aiming out the broken and useless window, he returned fire at the dark Lexus. The bullets pinging harmlessly off the bulletproof car and he cursed.

_I'm the world's biggest idiot…of course it's bulletproof! I'm a dead man—throw me in the ground now, please!_

Jackson rolled to the passenger side of the car, trying to stay low and be less of a target. He struggled to open the smashed-in door. Satisfied, that it would not budge, he crawled into the backseat. He snagged his bags as he jumped out the rear passenger-side door moments before another bullet sailed through the air and hit its mark.

He was barely five feet away when his rental vehicle took to the sky in a ball of flame.

_I just sooo missed being toasted…_

* * *

Jackson ran towards Grandma Henrietta's funeral. He could see Lisa conversing with some people who had attended the service. He slipped up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Lisa Reisert?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"So you are Lisa Reisert?"

"Yes, what's this about?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"I need you to come with me right away."

"Why?"

"Listen to me, if you want to live, you'll come with me and you won't ask questions."

"What?" She stared at him in shock; not quite believing him.

"There are some people who want to kill you because you're connected to Charles Keefe. They're a group of highly trained terrorists sent to kill him and anyone who gets in their way. I used to work for him, so now they're after me too. You're next on their list and if we leave now, we might just get out of Texas alive."

"How I do I know that you're not lying?"

With an aggravated sigh, Jackson dug into his laptop case and withdrew his job file. He handed it to Lisa wordlessly and she flipped it open. Within moments, she gasped in surprise and began to shake.

"Now do you believe me?"

"Oh God, oh God…"

"I'll take that as a yes. Now do you have a car?"

"No… my mother drove me." Lisa was gazing off into the distance; disoriented and unfocused.

"Is she still here? Lisa, is your mother still here?"

"No, she went home."

_This is not happening… This can't be happening…_

"Give me your cell phone," he ordered, holding a hand out.

When she did not respond, he roughly shoved his hand into her pockets, searching for the phone. When she shot him a dirty look, he held up the electronic device and flipped it open.

"Dallas, TX. Taxi service," he said quickly after dialing 411.

* * *

Less than an hour later, after a brief stop at Lisa's mother's house for her belongings, Jackson was leading a confused and stunned Lisa through Dallas International Airport towards the check-in line. He was unable to get an earlier flight and it was all he could do to hope that their flight was not delayed. They needed to get out of Texas before they were compromised.

"Flight 1019 to Miami, Florida has been delayed," announced the loudspeaker and his heart sank. They were both going to die now.

_I'm sorry, Lisa. I didn't mean to screw up. Really… I'm so sorry…._

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked her, while calmly rubbing her back.

"I just—I can't believe it. Why? Why us?"

"I was hired to manage and plan the job. I was told that you would be the contact person to finalize the job. All I needed was you to make a phone call to change his room and they would handle the rest."

"So, I was a tool?"

"Essentially, yes. But you're so much more than that. This is the fifth or sixth time I've been through this—"

"Been through what?" she asked curiously.

He took a deep breath. "I've been reliving this same day. Every morning I wake up in a hotel room, jump in my rental car, and head to your grandmother's funeral. Every day I'm supposed to get on this plane. But each time, different things happen. Some thing always goes wrong."

"Like what?"

"The first time, we ended up on the plane. You fought back and I landed in the hospital. A man came into my room and injected me with something. That was after he showed me a stack of photographs."

"What were the pictures of?"

"You…" he paused for a moment; his expression pained. "They killed you."

Lisa shook her head. "No… no…"

"Every day they killed you. Four times I watched you die. The fifth time—the fifth time I saved you."

"And?"

"And here we are."

**Author's Notes:**

I had a lot of trouble with this chapter. I've kind of lost of my touch with this story. I'm thinking of making this the last redo, even though I could continue it indefinitely. I think the dialogue between them is a little bit unrealistic, but I think that maybe Lisa has some feelings about the past few days and is inclined to trust Jackson, even though she doesn't know him. Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing! I think this is almost at the end—maybe a few more chapters, but I'm not really sure. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!


	7. Epilogue

**Not Tonight**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything related to _Red Eye_ or _Daybreak_!

**Epilogue**

A white sheet was pulled over a body as the gurney was wheeled out of the remains of Joseph Reisert's front door.

A determined young woman, bloody and bruised, clung tightly to a rapidly cooling hand as she followed the EMTs to the waiting ambulance.

"Ma'am, you have to let go now," said one of the techs as he pried at her hand.

She shook her head and ripped his hand away. "No," she spoke forcefully and clearly. "I won't leave him."

"He's gone—there's nothing left that can be done. I'm sorry."

"Lisa!" called a man and Joe jogged into view. "Come on, sweetheart, let's go back inside."

"No, dad." She shook her head violently. "I can't—I can't leave him like this," she pleaded; her green eyes moist with tears.

"You have to let go. He did it to himself, remember? He chose this."

Lisa reluctantly nodded in agreement.

_"It's the only way this will end," he whispered, prying the gun from her hands. "It's the only way to save you…"_

"Just, just give me a moment, please?" she begged and the waiting techs backed off and her father retreated respectfully.

She drew back the sheet and finger-combed his unruly dark hair. His icy blue eyes were still open and she moved to close the lids. Blood still dripped from the chest wounds.

_"Close your eyes, Lisa. I don't want you to watch," he said softly, placing warm hands over her eyes._

Quiet sobs wracked her frail body.

"You didn't have to do it. Even if it was all about you… you didn't have to die. We could've run away…"

_Soft kisses rained down on her skin as he pressed her into the wall of the cramped bathroom… his gentle, yet firm and passionate touch as she melted into him…_

"Damn it, Jackson, why did you have to do it?"

_Silence, then the piercing sounds of gunshots as they tore into flesh and his soft groans of pain…_

"We—we could have been together. We…

"_I love you, Lisa…" _

"If you've done it before, you can do it again. Come back to me, Jackson…"

_His dying body lying near the corpse of the man they rammed with a car… his hand touching her hair…_

She kissed him on the lips and re-covered his body with the sheet. Lisa watched silently as they loaded his body and her heart sank to the ground. The ambulance pulled away, lights flashing, but no sirens. It was the sweet, sad, silence of a D.O.A. call…

But as the ambulance disappeared, a pair of blue eyes fluttered open and faced a white sheet.

_I'm coming, Lisa. I won't lose you again—not tonight. We'll be together again. I'll come back for you tonight…_

**Author's Notes:**

Well, I figured out how to end this story. I know it seems like a very strange leap, but the flight pretty much remained the same. Jackson figured out that everything was about him and that he was the target—not Lisa. But in order to save her, he had to die. So they escaped the plane together and Jackson drove a car into his associate. Then using the gun found on the body, Jackson killed himself, hoping to end the cycle and save Lisa.

It's kind of an open-ended ending. He's not really dead, but for all we know, he could be about to relive the day again. Or maybe committing suicide ends it. I don't even know.

Thanks for reading/reviewing!

Selina- Thanks for all of your reviews! I didn't really like _Daybreak_ much either. I tried to watch it and use it as research, but I couldn't stand it after awhile, hence the reason the story went downhill some. At least that's my thoughts. Sorry about the short chapters.


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